Nautiterm: (Nautical Terms Explained) – “Round Robin”

03/03/2020

Nautiterm: (Nautical Terms Explained) – “Round Robin”

The origins of this expression come from seventeenth century France, where ruban rond (‘round ribbon’) was the method of signing petitions on ribbons which were attached to documents in a circular manner so as not to reveal who signed the petition first.

Similarly, British sailors signed petitions of grievances to resemble spokes of a wheel radiating from its hub so as to protect leaders’ identities.